Updated 8/13/2013 at 5:22pm(CNN) - The day after North Carolina's Republican Gov. Pat McCrory signed a controversial voter ID bill into law, one of the U.S. senators from his state is seeking to challenge it.

In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan asked that the Justice Department look into the law she worried would "restrict the ability of minorities, seniors, students, the disabled, and low and middle income citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote," she wrote.FULL POST

(CNN) – North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed a controversial voter ID bill into law Monday, citing the "common sense" need to protect the right to vote.

The law will go into effect for the 2016 elections and will, among other things, require all voters to present a valid government-issued photo ID at the polls. Opponents contend such laws unfairly discriminate against minority voters.FULL POST

(CNN) – "Incredibly bizarre" is not the typical response to a plate of chocolate chip cookies, particularly when the treats are delivered personally by a state's governor.

But that's how Irene Godinez, director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood Health Systems Action Fund, describes the moment North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory handed the baked goods to a woman staked outside his home, protesting the controversial abortion bill McCrory signed into law earlier this week.FULL POST

Raleigh, North Carolina (CNN) - Washington no longer has a monopoly on bitter partisanship. Much of the nation's political rancor has spread to statehouses across the country. And the weekly demonstrations outside the North Carolina legislature, dubbed "Moral Mondays," are only the latest example.

(CNN) - North Carolina's House of Representatives passed a restrictive abortion bill Thursday with a 74-41 vote. The bill now heads to the state Senate for approval.

The bill would place requirements on clinics that family planning advocates say would make it hard for them to stay in business. Among the requirements is the presence of a doctor when an abortion is being performed.

Washington (CNN) - The issues of abortion and illegal immigration will be in the spotlight over the next week, but all eyes will be on Texas on Monday for a major player to announce his political plans.